"Ah! The moon…" The young mother, noticing Meng Changyi's movement, followed her gaze and cried out in alarm.
Startled by the sudden exclamation, the girl seated in front rolled her eyes with disdain and muttered, "It's just the moon... what's the fuss about? What, never seen the moon before in your life? First time or something?"
"The moon? But I just checked the time—it's 13:32. How can there be a moon in broad daylight…" The man with glasses glanced at his phone again, frowning in confusion.
The girl's boyfriend cast a casual glance out the window, then suddenly froze and tugged at her arm with trembling hands.
"B-babe… the-the m-moon… look…"
The girl scowled, clearly annoyed.
"What are you stuttering about? Wha—" Her gaze lifted, and then—
"What the hell?! It's red!! I… I really have never seen anything like this before…"
Their reactions drew the curiosity of others in the carriage, who turned their heads toward the window—only to be similarly shocked.
An elderly man slowly pushed himself upright, clutching the seatback for support as he peered out of the window.
"This…" His lips pressed into a tight line, his voice uneasy. "This is deeply unnatural…"
The man with glasses froze, hand halfway to his frames. A child with a mouthful of water forgot to swallow. Someone holding a phone stood stunned, jaw slack.
In an instant, the entire carriage was plunged into a tense, stifling silence.
The presence of that crimson moon weighed heavily on everyone's hearts.
"Why'd it suddenly get so quiet? What the hell?"
Meng Changyi turned toward the voice. It belonged to a middle-aged man with short black hair and a beard, wearing a pale blue shirt and carrying a simple, honest air.
Fresh from the restroom, the man looked thoroughly bewildered. Speaking in a thick regional accent, he scratched his head and asked, "What was that announcement all about? Creeped me out… What kinda spooky nonsense is this, in broad daylight?"
When no one answered, he awkwardly averted his gaze, muttering, "Just askin'... How come none of y'all sayin' anything?"
"What are you all lookin' at?"
Noticing everyone's eyes fixed on something outside, he craned his neck to see.
When he finally caught sight of the blood moon, his eyes went wide as saucers, mouth agape in disbelief.
"Good Lord…"
He rubbed his eyes and looked again.
"Why's the moon blood-red?! This ain't right at all!"
His voice, like oil splashing into a hot pan, shattered the silence.
In a heartbeat, the carriage erupted into chaos—
Shrieks, gasps, sobs, and panic spilled into the air.
Suddenly, a stern male voice boomed above the din:
"What are you doing?! Passengers, please abide by the rules!!"
Train Rule No. 10:
No running, horseplay, or loud noise within the carriage. Please respect the comfort of other passengers.
All heads turned instinctively.
At some unknown point, a man dressed in crimson had appeared at the entrance to the carriage.
He wore a blank expression, eyes cold and devoid of emotion, his voice like ice:
"Please follow the rules. Otherwise, I will carry out disciplinary measures as required."
"Holy—!! He's wear—" a woman began, but her voice caught in her throat under his chilling gaze.
The carriage fell into a heavy, eerie silence once more.
Train Rule No. 2:
There are no attendants in red uniforms aboard this train. If you see one, avoid them immediately. Do not let them know you've broken the rules.
The young mother clutched her child tightly, her arms trembling as she tried to calm the squirming little one. Her lips quivered as she murmured,
"What do we do? Should we run? But what if he catches us…? The rules say to stay seated… don't move around…"
Her voice was barely audible, more like a whisper to herself than a question to Meng Changyi.